Strap



Dec. z3, 1941. s, D BLUE 2,266,953

S TRAP Filed June 50, 1938 2 Shee'bs--Sheei'l l Dec. z3, 1941. sf D BLUE l A 2,266,953

STRAP Filed June 50, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 UNHTED rs rrr ortica 3 Claims.

This invention pertains to straps, for example, straps such as are employed for securing a wrist watch to the wrist of the wearer, it being understood, however, that a wrist watch strap is thus specifically referred to as an instance of the utility of the invention and without limiting intent.

Wrist watch straps are commonly of substantial width and are usually made of leather or artificial leather or sometimes of heavy textile material. A solid strap of leather, such as is used for this purpose, while quite pliable longitudinally, has substantial transverse stiffness under normal conditions and thus reliably distributes the pressure over such an area of the wearers wrist as to avoid discomfort, even though the strap be drawn tight enough to hold the watch in the desired location. Straps of textile material are made heavy enough to approximate the transverse stiffness of leather. However, both leather and ordinary textile materials are moisture absorbent, and in hot water become soiled and unsanitary after a very short period of use. Moreover, when wet with perspiration both leather and textile straps become limp and cling to the skin with consequent discomfort to the wearer and sometimes even cause actual chang of the wrist. On the other hand, solid leather suitable for such use tends to becomestiff and harsh when washed, while the usual textile material becomes ropey and never wholly regains its original characteristics or appearance after washing.

The above-noted defects are commonly characteristic of straps employed as belts, either forv the support or ornamentation of garments, for instance, womens dresses, and it is contemplated that for such purposes the present invention is of value, as well as for the specific utility hereinabove referred to.

Objects of the present invention are to provide a strap having the desirable longitudinal pliability and transverse stiffness of leather, but which is but slightly absorbent of moisture and which, when soiled, may readily be washed without injuriously affecting its original characteristics or appearance. A further object is to provide a wrist watch strap of good, durable and pleasing appearance and which may be made at a cost not substantially exceeding textile straps of usual construction. A further object is to provide a strap which may readily be made in any desired color or combination of colors; whose inner and outer surfaces may, if desired, be of different materials; and which, while amply 1 the invention will be pointed out in the renewing more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing the completed strap with a watch mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the strap without the watch;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the strap when completed but before the application of the buckle;

Fig. 4 is a plan view illustrating one of the earlier steps in the process of making the. strap;

Fig. 5 is a view similar'to Fig. 4'illustrating a later stage of the process; f Y

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary diagrammatic View illustrating the step of fusing the stifi'enerelement to the face ply of the strap; v

Fig. 8 is a section substantially onthe line 8 8 of Fig. 2, but showing the several elements ofthe strap much vrmagnified in thickness; I

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary diagrammatic large scale plan view showing a portion of the stiffening ply or layer.

Figs. 10 to 13 are diagrammatic sections, to large scale, in general similar to Fig. 8, illustrating modified constructions; and y Fig. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view, showing the several constituentY elements of'a preferred form of strap.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I designates the strap as a whole, the strap being profvided at one end with a buckle 2 of usual type and at its other end with a series of openings 3 designed selectively to receive the tongue of the buckle. The strap -is designed for association with the wrist watch 4 by threading the end of the strap between the back of the Watch andthe pins or bars 5 and Gusually provided at the opposite ends of a wrist watch, the frictional engage-y ment of the strap and watch being depended-upc to hold the watchin proper position.

While the above mode of mounting the Watch on the strap is that commonly employed, it is contemplated that a strap, made generally as hereinafter described, may be divided and each end portion may then be secured independently to one of the bars 5 and 6, respectively, of the watch, this being another commonj mode of at,-

tachnga strap to a watch.v When hereinafter reference is made to the strapf and to the method of making it, it is to be understood that the term strap is intended t include either a single length strap such as illustrated in Fig. 1, or a strap comprising two independent portions, each independently attached to the watch.

In Fig. 3 the rear side of the strap is shown before attachment of the buckle thereto, the end of the strap which receives the buckle being provided with the loop 'I through which the other end of the strap is threaded to form a bight for receiving the inner bar of the buckle. This end of the strap is furnished with at least one opening 8 through which the tongue 8a of the buckle extends. In accordance with this invention, it is preferred to provide a plurality of these openings 8 so that by selectively engaging the tongue of the buckle With one or another of these openings, the effective length of the strap may be varied, independently of the adjustment provided by the openings 3 at its opposite end. Y

After the buckle has been applied, the loop I appears at the front face of the strap for receiving the surplus material of the opposite or free y end ofthe strap and, if desired, a second loop la may be furnished as an additional means of holding the free end of the strap in place.

In the above particulars the strap is substantially like straps heretofore made of leather or textile fabric, with the exception of the provision of a plurali-ty of the openings 8, a feature which is believed to be new in the present construction.

In making the strap (as illustrated in Figs, 4 to 9), there is provided a ribbon-like length of material 9, for example textile fabric; very thin and 'pliable leather, artificial leather; or the like; such length of material being -substantially wider than the width of the finished strap. There is also provided a length of stiifening material I0, also ribbon-'like in its shape but somewhat narvrower than the facing strip 9, so that when disposed symmetrically upon the latter, marginal portions 9a and l9b of the facing strip 9 are ex-l posed at opposite edges of the stiffener strip IIJ. This stiener strip is made from a stien'ing material Illa (Fig. 9), preferably of reticular fabric such as textile material having its interstices filled With an impregnant binding and stifening substance which is normally dry and nonadhesive but which becomes adhesive when subjected to heat4 and pressure, preferably Without recourse to pretreatment with a solvent. It has been found that textile fabric impregnated with a synthetic resin, for example, a vinyl polymer of a thermoplastic character is well suited for the intended purpose, although other synthetic resins than the vinyl polymer type, as Well as certain derivatives of cellulose maybe employed. Likewise, it is contemplated that the reticular base fabric may be other than a textile material, for instance, a heavy perforated paper, perforated artificial leather, or the like.

After this stiffener strip has been prepared and assembled with the facing ply 9, as shown in Fig. 4, the margins 9a and 9b of the facing ply are turned in over the edges of the stiffener strip I 0, the marginal material at the rounded or free end of the strap being more or less pleated in so turning it in, and then the assembled parts are placed upon the lower platen P of a hot press and the upperv platen P is brought down with considerable pressure and the parts are permitted to remain in this position until the impregnating material II within the interstices of the stiffener strip is caused to exude and firmly to bind the `stiife'ner fabric to the main body of the facing ply 9 as well as to the inturned margins 9a and 9b of the latter. The assembled and fused parts are then removed from the press and a rear ply I2 of suitable material, for example textile fabric, thin leather or the like,preferably having its margins I2a and I2b folded inwardly, is then disposed in registry with the previously assembled parts and with the folded-in margins I2a and I2b overlying the folded and fused margins 9a and 9b; and then with the parts thus assembled, they are united, for example, by means of sewed seams I3 and I4 extending longitudinally of the strap.

In Fig. 8, wherein the parts are shown to greatly exaggerated scale, particularly as to thickness,there appears a cavity between the rear vply I2 and the stiffening strip I0, but in actual practice this cavity is of substantially inconsequential thickness since the thickness of the rear ply I2 is usually very small, and, in the nished strap, the material of the rear ply which bridges the space between the edges of its inturned margins merely sinks in slightly, forming a slight longitudinal channel in the rear surface of the completed strap. After the strap hasV been completed to this extent, the openings 3 and Bare formed and may be finished in any desired manner, for example, by buttonhole stitching or by the insertion of eyelets, if preferred. l y

While, as above described, the fusing operation is performed before assembly of the rear ply I 2 with the other parts, it is contemplated that the rear ply I2 may be assembled withthe facing ply 9 and the stiffener stripbefore fusion. In this event, the rear ply I2 may, to some extent at least, become fused to the stiffening strip along the central part of the strap. It is further contemplated that instead of the stitched seams I3 and I4, the rear ply may be securedin position by some suitable and powerful adhesive such, for example, as one of the synthetic rubbers'or by the use of synthetic resin or the like.

After the strap has been completed to the extent indicated in Fig. 3, the buckle-receiving end of the strap is then threaded through the buckle, the tongue of the buckle is passed through one of the openings 8, and the free end of the strap is passed through the loop 'I so as toY form the buckle-receiving bight, thus completing the strap.

Since the front and rear surfaces of the strap are made from independent pieces of material 9 and I2, respectively, it is readily possible to make the inner and outer surfaces of different materials or of different colors, thus adding to the attractive characteristics of the strap asfprepared in accordance with the present invention.

In the arrangement diagrammatically killustrated in Fig. l0, the facing strip 8 and the rear ply I2 are substantially identical with those shown in Fig. 8 (and previously described), but the stiening member comprises a strip Hlm of flexible sheet material, for example textile fabric, paper or the like, having on each side. a surface coating |011. of a stiffening adhesive substance such as that suggested as suitable for impregnation of the fabric Illa of Fig. 9. While such a coated fabric may be somewhat thicker than an impregnated fabric carrying the same amount of adhesive material, it may be preferred under some circumstances.

In Fig. 1l a further arrangement is indicated in which the facing ply 5 and the rear ply I2`are substantially like those previously described but the stiifening member Is, coated on opposite sides at It (like the stiifener shown in'Fig".- l0) or, if preferred, impregnated (as shown in Fig. 8), is disposed to overlie the folded-in edges 9a and 9b of the front ply 9 and directly to underlie the folded-in edges |2a and I2b of the rear ply I2. With this arrangement the fusing operation is preferably so carried out as to fuse the folded edges 9a and 12a to the stiffener and to fuse the folded edges 9b and |21) to the stiffener. However, the extreme outer edges of the folds are not substantially stiifened and remain quite flexible, thus resisting wear better than when the stiffening substance flows into the crease of the fold itself, as it usually does in the arrangements of Figs. 8 and 10.

In Fig. l2 a slight modification of the construction of Fig. 11 is shown, differing from the latter arrangement in having a stiffening adhesive coating It at the underside only of the stiifener member I. In this arrangement the fusing operation unites the stiffening member :1: to the upper surface of the folded-in edges 9a and 9b of the ply 9 and also to the central part of the latter ply only, but leaves the eX- treme edges of the folds themselves flexible as in the construction of Fig. 11.

In Figs. 13 and 14 a further and preferred arrangement is illustrated. The facing ply 9 and the rear ply l2 are substantially as shown in Fig. 8, but the stiffener member |01/ is coated at H32 only at its upper surface. In the fusing operation (which preferably is performed after the parts have been sewed together at I3), the stiffener member ly is adhesively united to the inner surfaces of the folded-in edges 9a and 9b of the front ply andto the central part of the rear ply I2 but does not adhere to the central portion of the front ply nor is it in sufficient amount to extend into the extreme edges of the folds of the latter ply. This provides a very fiexible construction and one which is highly wear resistant.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been illustrated by way of example, and a preferred mode of making such embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is regarded as broadly inclusive of all equivalent constructions and modes of procedure and that the sequence of steps employed in practicing the process may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A washable strap comprising two superposed woven ribbons each having its margins folded adhesively secured to the inner face of one ribbon under its folded margins and being unsecured to the other ribbon throughout the width of said gap to leave, throughout the length of the strap, an interior air space which is at least as deep as the combined thicknesses of the folded margins of the two ribbons.

2. A washable strap comprising two superposed woven ribbons each having its margins folded inwardly with a gap between the opposed edges of the margins, the two ribbons being secured together with the folded margins of one ribbon opposed to the folded margins of the other ribbon, and between said ribbons a stiffening tape which is wider than said gap so that its edges overlap said folded margins, the opposite edges of the tape being disposed beneath the inwardly folded margins respectively of one of the ribbons, the tape kbeing adhesively united to the inner face of said latter ribbon and being free from the other ribbon throughout the width of said gap so as to leave throughout the length of the strap an interior air space whose depth is determined by the combined thicknesses of the folded margins of the two ribbons.

3. A washable strap comprising two superposed woven ribbons each having its margins folded inwardly with a gap between the opposed edges of the margins, the two ribbons being secured together with the folded margins of one ribbon opposed to the folded margins of the other ribbon, and between said ribbons a stiffening tape which is wider than said gap so that its edges overlap said folded margins, the opposite edge portions of the tape being embracedl by the opposite edge folds respectively of one of the ribbons, one side of the tape being adhesively united throughout its entire width to the inner face of said latter ribbon, the opposite face of the tape being devoid of adhesive and free from the other ribbon throughout at least the width of the gap, thereby leaving, throughout the length of the strap, an interior air space whose depth is defined by the combined thicknesses of the folded margins of the two ribbons.

SIDNEY D. BLUE. 

